Ever thought how bulletproof cars always come in the same shape or model? Notice how every armored vehicle in town is either a blacked-out Land Cruiser or a Nissan Patrol, doesn’t that get too predictable? People always tend to watch out for cars like these, and at times the attention you’d get riding a car like that defeats the entire purpose of staying protected.

What if you could approach your security from a different angle? Say, getting a rather simple, anonymous hot hatch – and then augmenting it with armor anyway. Not only will you have armor when you need it, but you’ll fly under the radar just as well.

This is the exact train of thought French Billionaire Bernard Arnault had when he had this Peugeot 205 GTI worked for his personal use back in 1990. Having long since sold it to a private collector, the hot hatch is now posted on Art & Revs for a sizeable sum of €37,500 (Php 2,412,420).

Plenty of money for an odd french hot hatch from the 90’s, but with that price comes full level 2 armor protection. From what we can tell, this constitutes armor plating on most of its panels as well as thick bulletproof glass even for the doors and rear hatch. All its added armor brings the 205 GTI’s weight to about 1400 kg, meaning this particular vehicle also has upgrades brakes and suspension to hold the weight. There’s no mention if any work has been done to the 1.9L motor to bring the car up to speed.

For the price of a modern hot hatch like the WRX STI, this particular Peugeot 205 could well be a rather questionable purchase. Thing is, could an STI save you from a hail of bullets though?